Israeli air strike kills four in Lebanon, straining fragile ceasefire

In a move that added pressure to a nearly yearlong truce with Hezbollah, an Israeli airstrike has claimed the lives of at least four people in southern Lebanon, according to the country’s ministry of public health.

Three people were also hurt in the Israeli attack in the Nabatieh district of the Lebanese health ministry, according to a statement released on Saturday.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

A “guided missile” was used in the strike, according to the state-run Lebanon News Agency, to hit a car at about 2:15 pm (16:15 GMT).

Following Joseph Aoun’s accusation that Israel was escalating strikes in response to his request to put a more lasting end to the cross-border attacks, the attack occurred the day after.

In response to Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7 and subsequent attacks on Israel, Hezbollah began to attack Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza in 2023. In November 2024, the two parties reached a ceasefire after fighting for more than a year.

Israel has continued nearly daily air raids in five southern Lebanon locations despite the truce, repeatedly violating the agreement, and has continued to keep troops there. Hezbollah is claimed by Israel, but civilians, first responders, and journalists have also been killed.

Since the ceasefire ended, Israeli forces have killed at least 111 civilians in Lebanon, according to the UN.

Aoun, who demanded talks with Israel in mid-October after President Trump abruptly ended the ceasefire, stated that his proposed talks aim to “end the Israeli occupation.”

Israel has argued that Lebanon’s government has broken the ceasefire by preventing and disarming Hezbollah, as per Israel’s claim.

The armed group rejects the need to disarm.

Aoun earlier this week issued a command to Lebanon’s armed forces to stop any additional Israeli incursion into the south in another sign of rising tensions.

The border town of Blida received the order shortly after Israeli soldiers entered.

Municipal worker Ibrahim Salameh, who had been sleeping there, was killed when they stormed the town hall, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

According to Israel’s military, soldiers opened fire in response to an “immediate threat,” claiming that the operation was intended to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure.